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Topic: Local girl aims high this weekend (Read 1962 times)

Our daughter,Eleanor is taking part in the Oxford University Student "Jailbreak" this weekend. The aim is to travel as far from Oxford as you can in 36 hours with no money, tickets, or passes and to raise money for 4 charities by getting donations/sponsorship.

Eleanor set off at 7am this morning with the ambition to set new records. She is aiming to get to Oxford New Zealand (11,771 miles away - previous record 5,967 Tokyo) and to raise £100k (last year all the teams together raised £30k). It is just possible for her to reach Oxford New Zealand by 7pm on Sunday evening but it relies on her being able to get on a specific Quantas flight that leaves Heathrow bound for Christchurch, New Zealand at 11.55 today. She had just texted to say that a lovely taxi is taking her to Heathrow (so she is out of Oxford already 😀).

Her aim is to arrive in Christchurch at 5.05am on Monday morning 27/2 then it is a 40 minute drive to Oxford (a small farming community), if someone will take them. New Zealand are 13hrs ahead of us so she hopes to arrive at 6am (NZ time). Which will be 5pm in Oxford UK (Deadline is 7pm).

The next flight home is an Emirates flight at 18.45 on the same day arriving back in Heathrow at 11.40 on Tuesday 28/2. So it is not a student jolly she is genuinely hoping to raise £100k. (Current total £800 so only £99,200 to go!).

She had worked so hard this week, despite doing all her normal final year student activities : lectures, tutorials, essays, ... played football for the girls team ) and has been on BBC Radio Oxford and in the local Oxford paper. BBC Radio Oxford are following their progress via phone over the weekend.

3. Consider if you or your business would support her ambition and determination via PR or Corporate social responsibility budgets - the closing date for donations is 12/3 (1p per mile is £117.77, 10p per mile £1,177.10 ... )

4. Do you have any links to Quantas, Emirates or the travel industry that could help them travel for free?

Finally, what are they raising the money for ?

All the Oxford Students voted for 4 charities at the start of the year - 2 local, 1 national and 1 international

4 Charities voted for by Oxford University students

1. Breaking the cycle of homelessness

Oxford Homeless Pathways provides a range of services for homeless and recently homeless people aged 18+. We help people tackle the issues that have led them to become homeless and to build confidence, develop new skills and put in place plans to change their lives.

2. Welcome to OSARCC

We are a collective of women committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse, and harassment. We offer a free and confidential service to women and girls who are dealing with the effects of sexual violence, and to anyone who is supporting them.

We listen, and we believe.

3. S﻿tudent Minds is the UK's student mental health charity. We want students to have the skills, knowledge and confidence to talk about their mental health and look out for their peers. We believe in peer support and deliver research-driven training and supervision to equip students to bring about positive change on their campuses through campaigning and facilitating peer support projects.

4. Schistosomiasis Control initiative

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise of 14 parasitic and bacterial infections. They are the most common afflictions of humankind. The seven most prevalent NTDs (ascariasis, hookworm infection, trichuriasis, lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchoocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and trachoma) affect over one billion individuals, one sixth of the world population. Ninety percent of the disease burden of NTDs is in Africa with the majority of the infected two or more NTDs. Most can be prevented and eliminated through the administration of inexpensive or donated medicines. Children are the most